Hosiery stretcher



May 2, 1939. f R. OLDFIELD HOSIERY STRETCHER Filed Jan. 25, 1957INVENTOR 39 .Rqn Oldfield,

A ORNEY Patented May 2, 1939 NHTED STATES HOSIERY STRETCHER ReneOldfield,

Norristown, Pa.

Application January 25, 1937, Serial No. 122,150

2 Claims.

The object of the invention is broadly to provide an improved hosierystretcher, but more particularly with relation to improved means for,stretching the foot portion of a stocking, here- 5 inafter referred toas the foot, as compared to the leg of the stocking.

It is well known that many forms of stretchers have been developed,especially for full length and half length hose of the relatively lightweight types, such as are commonly worn by men and women in everydaylife, but little if any attention has been given to the stretching anddrying of so-called golf hose, which represents a type of relativelyheavy woolen hose worn especially 15, by men, the feet of which when wetfrom ordinary washing, or from rain, or snow, are very difiicult to drawover the corresponding foot portion of a drier of fixed or predeterminedlength.

Another object has therefore been to provide an improved stretcher anddrier having a foot section which can be varied in length to the desiredsize, at which the foot of the hose should set upon becoming finallydried, and over which 25 foot section'the hose can be completely drawn,

before its length section is adjusted to the desired length, after whichthe leg of the hose is pulled over the corresponding section of thedevice.

And a further object is to provide in a device of this nature, thecombination of a relatively fixed heel section, preferably rigidlyattached to the leg section, a toe section preferably telescopicallyattached to said heel section, with means 35' extending between andadjustably connecting said toe and heel sections in variable yetnormally fixed relationship, and a member extending into said legsection, said member being manually engageable and actu-atable both toforce said toe section outwardly from said heel section to stretch thefoot of the hose, and to secure in or release from such predeterminedrelationship the two foot sections of the device, all while the footsection is covered by a stocking or hose.

With the objects of the invention thus briefly stated, the inventioncomprises further details of construction and operation, which arehereinafter fully brought out in the following description, when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a planView of one embodiment of the invention, showing the toe section inextended relation with respect to the heel section by means ofdot-and-dash lines; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; 55and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed view, partly in section, showing thesize-adjusting mechanism.

Referring to the drawing, the embodiment of the invention here shown isrepresented as being made in the form of a frame, in order to attainminimum weight and also faciltate the drying of hose stretched thereon,but it is to be understood that the exact construction of the deviceother than the particular improvements hereinafter noted, is to be leftto the preference of the manufacturer.

With this understanding in mind, the device is here illustrated ascomprising a leg section I and a foot section, which in turn issub-divided into an instep section 2 and a toe section 3. The legsection is formed of the equivalent of spaced rods 4 and 5, having theirupper ends curved towards each other and joined together at 6, andprovided with suitable means I for hanging the device from an extraneoussupport, or these rods may comprise a single continuous rod or tube, asis actually shown, the opposite sides of which are maintained in. fixedspaced relation by means of a transverse brace 8. The rod 5 representsthe rear side of the device, as it corresponds to the rear portion of astocking when being worn, and this red is curved inwardly or forwardlyat 9, so as to more closely approach the opposite rod 4- and thusconform to the angle portion of a hose, whence the rod 5 is curvedoutwardly or rearwardly away from and thence reversely toward the rod 4,to provide the curved heel portion I!) over which is. intended to fitthe heel portion of a stocking. Below this heel portion and also below apoint substantially opposite thereto, the respective rods 5 and. 4assume a parallel relation at H and I2 and are of tubular form, whetheror not the remaining portions of said rods are tubular or solid. Theseparallel portions II and 12 comprise the foot of the device and aremaintained in fixed spaced relation by means of one or more suitablypositioned braces l3, as shown in both of Figs. 1 and 2.

The toe section 3 is preferably formed of a solid U-shaped rod, theopposite parallel terminal portions l4 and I5 of which are reduced indiameter so as to slidably enter the interior of the tubular footportions H and I2. To the center 50 of said toe section is rigidlysecured a relatively slender bar I6, which is adapted to pass s-lidablythrough apertures H in the braces l3, and terminates, when said toesection is in fully retracted position, approximately adjacent to the 56heel portion l0, where it is pivotally connected at Hi to the lower endof an adjusting bar IS, the opposite end of which latter is suitablyshaped to provide a handle 20.

An intermediate portion of the adjusting bar I9 is provided with spacedratchet teeth 2|, the abrupt sides of which are directed upwardly, whiletheir slanting faces are directed downwardly and are adapted to slideunder and selectively engage the forward surface of a strap 22, which isof U-shaped cross section and has its sides secured to the rod 5,adjacent to the ankle portion 9 of the device. As this structure isrelatively small in cross section, there is preferably provided betweenthe opposite sides of said strap 22 and adjacent to the bar 5, a pair ofspaced blocks 23 or their equivalent, leaving a space 25 between them,into which space normally extends the central abruptly curved portion 25of a leaf spring, the opposite terminal portions 28 of which spring bearslidably against the adjacent side of the adjusting bar 19, in order tomaintain the desired tooth 2| in engagement with the outermost portionof the strap 22, as shown in Fig. 3.

It will be noted that the rear portion of the swell comprising the heelI0, is substantially parallel with the central portion of the toesection 3. This being the case, after the toe. section has been shiftedinto fully retracted position, as shown in Fig. l, by means of theadjusting bar I9, the particular type of relatively heavy hose mentionedhas its foot portion, indicated by the dot-and-dash line 27, pulled overthe toe, then over the instep and finally over the heel portion of thedevice, with the leg portion 28 of such hose crumpled about the ankleportion 9 of the stretcher, or in other words completely covering theentire foot section of the stretcher. By means of the handle 20, the baris is thereupon pushed downwardly, and through. the medium of the bar 16operates to force the toe section 3 into its extendeddot-and-dashposition, corresponding with the proper size offoot to whichit is intended to have the hose set in drying. The spring 25-25automatically functions to maintain this adjustment by keeping theproper one of the teeth 2| in engagement'with the strap 22. At thispoint it should be noted that the longitudinal length of each of saidteeth may be equal to a quarter-size or half-size hose, in order toobtain accurately the desired size of the foot section.

After the hose has fully dried and set, it may be withdrawn from thestretcher, without first altering the length of said foot section, orsuch length may first be altered by manually depressing the handle (whenconsidered in the position shown in Fig. 1), thereby releasing the teeth21 from engagement with the strap 22, against the tension of the spring2526 and then retracting the rods l6 and i9 and toe section 3 intoWithdrawn position, following which the hose can be even more readilyremoved from the stretcher, since the extent of its frictionalengagement with the foot section has been materially lessened.

It is understood that the invention herein described may be modified asto minor details of construction and operation, Without departing fromthe spirit of the invention in its broadest scope, and as defined by theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A stretcher for hosiery, comprising a leg section and a foot section,said foot section comprising instep and heel portions secured to saidleg section and a detachable toe section adjustably carried by theinstep portion of said foot section, a rod attached to said'toe section,and a manually actuatable member pivotally connected to said rod andextending into said leg section, where it is engageable when said toeand foot sections are covered by a hose, spaced teeth carried by saidmember, a lug carried by one side of said leg section, and resilientmeans supported by said lug and slidably engageable with said member, tonormally maintain a predetermined tooth of said member in engagementwith said lug, said tooth-andlug structure being released by angularlyoscillating said member about its pivotal connection with said rod,against the force of said resilient means.

2. A stretcher for hosiery, comprising a leg section of fixed width anda foot section, said foot section comprising instep and heel portionssecured to said leg section and a detachable toe section adjustablycarried by the instep portion of said foot section, a 'part of the rearside of said heel portion being at substantially right angles to adirect line between said heel and said toe, a rod attached to said toesection and extending into said foot section, and a manually actuatablemember pivotally connected to said rod and extending at all times whollywithin said leg section, where it is engageable when said toe and footsections are covered by a hose, the foot of which hose is stretchedbetween the end of said toe section and the rear of said heel portion, aU-shaped bracket carried by one side of said leg section, a springpositioned within said bracket, and ratchet means carried by said memberand adjustably engaging said bracket under the tension of said springbearing against said member to adjustably maintain said member, said rodand said toe section in adjustableposition with respect to said foot andleg sections.

RENE OLDFIELD.

